Soap-molding machine



May 19,1925.

M. L. CROUCH SOAP MOLDING MACHINE i inal Filed Aug. 1917 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 TTORNE Y 50 at or near one end thereof, thesewheels I Reiasued 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES.

* R... 16,076 PATENT OFFICE.

mien L. CROUCH, or MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.

SOAP-MOLDING MACHINE.

Original Io. 1308:7158, dated July 8, 1919, Serial 1T0. a099,: filed August 31, 1917. Application to:

- reissue filed March 29, 1921. Serialli'o. 458,662.

Toall whom it com-em:

Be it known that L'MARION L. Gaol-H, a citizen of the 'United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin,'have invented a new and Improved Soap-Molding Machine, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a machine for forming cakes or bars of soap, and an ob- -ject of my invention, among others, is to.

provide such a machine with means for mechanically taking the several steps required to forms cake or bar of soap in a rapid,

efiicient and economic manner.

A form of machine embodying my inveu' tion and in the construction and use of which the objects herein set out, as wellas others, may be attained, is illustrated inlen' thwise section.

the accompanying drawings,' in which Figure 1 is a die 'amm'aticview illustrating the relative disposition of the parts of my improved machme when viewed in igure 2 is a vlew in verticalcross sec-- tion on plane passing generally through the center of the crutcher, parts beyond being omitted.

Figure 3' is a view in side elevation and in section on a plane passing through the 3 carrier chain illustratingthe arrangement of the mold plates'andthe follower operating I vices.

bar, the scale being the same as that of Fi res 4 and 5.

n the accompanying drawings the nu- ;meral 10 indicates generally the frame of 'my improved machine which includes legs,

side bars, cross bars and other suitable supporting elements arranged in any suitable manner and secured together to form a ri id structuret'o support the soap making e-- Carrier supportingwheels 11.-'-12-;are mounted upon opposite sides of the frame preferably having teethto receive endless chains 13 supported upon the wheels. These chains constitute 9. art of'a carrier that also includes mold p ates 14 "secured. at each able manner,

', The chains 13 may be end to the chain with their. edges in contact, eaclr moldplate havin' openings 15 extending lengt wise of the plate and spaced asultable distance apart. A set of molds '16 are'secured to each plate underneath said openings, these molds being preferably,com(posed' of thin material, and they are space a slight distance apart to permit presence of afluid between them. The interior dimension of eachmold is substantially that of theopening 15 tllrough the plate into it, and each mold has afollower 17 closely fittingits interior, each follower having a stem 18 projecting through the bottom of the ;mold.'" through the plates ma be of any desired shape to correspond to t e shape of the cakes to be produced, the cross sectional shape of The openings 15 a series of the interior of the, molds, of courseybeing made to correspond to the shapeof said openings.

The molds are arranged in sets, each set extendingacross. the carrier, in the arrange ment shown herein five molds comprising each set, and a follower operating bar 19 is provided to which the end of each stem -18 in each set is preferably attached, said stems being attached to the bars in any suity I A follower bar supporting post 20 projects from the under side of each plate, preferably at or near each end, and these posts, have sprin s 21 thrustin against the under side of the mold plate an against said bar, and a gage 22 may be adjustably secured to each post to determine the, posit o'n'of the follower operatin bar for the size,in thickness, of'the cake 0 soap to be produced. 5 In the construction herein shown this gage 22 consists of a nut screw threaded onto each post underneath the follower operatingbar. A'ny other means for determining this, size in thickness of the cake ,may be employed. In some forms of. .construction the mold plates and molds may stamped to proper shape.

form to receive the teeth .of the supporting wheels and*to'permit the mold plates to be secured in place," and the driving power 105' k be composed of a single piece of sheet metal of any suitable plying the power to rotate the wheels in the direction to cause the upper reach-of the chain to move to the rightas seen in Figure 3 causing the plates to be moved by a pushing action, especiallyat this end of the carrier andwhere they receive their contents, and the edges of theplates are thus maintained in close contact so that the leakply tank, is placed upon a crutcher plate 25 supported on the machine frame and just in front of the supportingwheels 11, this plate having an opening 26, preferably of a width to uncover several of the mold plates, the structure in fact constituting a crutcher with a bottom having an opening therein, which bottom may be omitted if desired. The carrier supports 23 are carried upon pivotally mounted guide arms 40, and are adjustable vertically as by means of screw rods 28 supporting said arms and passing through the plate 25 and having thumb nuts 41 at their outer ends. This enables the mold plates to be pressed into close. contact with the plate 25 or bottom edge of the crutcher, to lessen or avoid leaking of the crutcher between its under surface and the moving mold plates. A feed worm 29 of usual construction may be lo cated within the crutcher and is driven in a manner common to devices of this class. I have, however, provided the lower end of this 'worm with a smoothing and packing shoe 30 positioned to wipe across the upper surface of the mold plates and across the mouth of the molds to press'and pack the contents solidly therein. A waste carrier including a waste belt 31 with pockets 32 is arranged to travel vertically and around waste carrier supports rotatably mounted, this carrier being arranged in any suitable manner and driven as by power from a shaft 42 mounted upon the crutcherand connected as by bevel gears to drive the crutcher shaft 43. A shaft 45 bears one ofsaid supports 39 and is connected as by a sprocket chain 44 with the waste carrier driving 'shaft 42. The waste carrier cgmprises a pair of chains connected by the pockets '32, each of the waste carrier supports 39, 46 and 47 consisting of a pair of sprocket wheels mounted to support each chain and relatively arranged as shown in Figure -3 of the drawings.

A receiver 48 is located underneath the crutcher and is of a size to receive the waste material that passes through between the mold plates 14 on that may otherwise appear underneath said plates as the molds are filled. vThis receiver terminates in the form of a spout 49 that delivers the waste material into the pockets 32 and as shown in Figures 2-and 3 of the drawings. Another receiver 50 with an outletblislocated to deliver into the top of the crutcher and in position to receive the contents of the pockets 32 that are dumped into said receiver and delivered through the outlet 51 into the crutcher and as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings.

A cooling tank 33 is sup'ported by the frame a short distance from the crutcher and the carrier guides extend downwardly at one end of thetank and then upwardly at theopposite end thereof to guide the mold plates and molds and immerse them in a cooling fluid contained within thetank. I

The disposition of the molds with spaces between them and the thin character of the walls will enable the contents to be thoroughly cooled and hardened as the molds passv ,through this tank. Another tank 34 is supported by the frame to receive a part of the lower reach of the carrier, the guides 23 being arranged in a manner similar to that above described, to conduct the mold plates and molds into. thehot fluid contents of this heating tank which receives the molds after the cakes of soap have been removed therefrom, the heating medium softening any material that may have been retained within the molds and thus enablin the latter to be readily cleaned. Follower bar operating guides 35 are arranged along each side of the frame to receive the ends of the follower bars, these guides being so arranged at a point near the crutcher that the bars will be operated ito force the followers'into the mouth of the lowers are gradually moved downwardly in the m'oldto the bottom thereof, at about the, same rate as that of filli of the mold, the lowermost position being reached beforethe molds have passed from underneath the openings 26. This arrangement presents the molds underneath theopening 26 substantially free from air,the downward movement of the follower being such as to permit the contents to keep the space in the mold filled as the follower moves down. After the -molds are filledv the springs 21 will operate to retain the followers in this position until after the molds have passed through the cooling tank 33 -and preferably around the wheels 12. The carrier guide support 23 may be dispensed with at that part of movement of the carrier around the wheels 11 and 12, and arranged to again within t e loop forme I after it leaves the wheels 12, the follower bar operating guides are arranged was at 36'to move the followers-to themouth of the molds to e'ect the cakes of soap therefrom e mol s at this time being upside do and the cakes preferably being de- 1 ered on to an apron or belt 37 that may be .driven in any suitable manner to carry the molded cakes to a special. drier. or any other desired oint. After the cakes are ejected thev springs 21 operate to draw the followers into the molds in which condition the latter are passed through the heating tank 34 and any material that may have adhered to the walls of the molds is softened, so that as' thefollowers are again forced to the mouth of the molds, as by the guides 52 arranged to do this at or about the time the molds leave the heating tank, this material will be easily removed and scraped from the interior Walls of the molds by the followers. After leaving the heating tank and while the followers are this at the r mouth of the molds, they pass across a cleaning .wheel 38 which has its outer surface preferably composed of bristles of any suitable character, this whe'elbeing rotated in any desired manner to cause all waste materialto be removed from the follower and the outer surface of the mold plates, said parts being thus thoroughlycleaned. I

-The followers may be maintained by the guides in this position until they again pass under the crutcher, as hereinbefore de- L scribed, or the uides 35 may be arranged to cause the 0 owers to be thrust intothe mouths of the molds onl at about the time they pass underneath t e' crutcher in th manner as hereinbefore described.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described. the.prin-.

ciples' of operation of my invention, herein,

but it will be .Lnderstood thatv the device;

shown is onl illustrative, and that the invention can e carried out by other means.

I claim: 1. A mold structure for a soap making mac ine comprising a plate, a pluralityof,

, closed -molds projecting from one face of;

said plate and spaced apart to" freely expose their adjacent surfaces on different sides thereof and freely admit a cooling liquid to all sides thereof, and a liquid c'oohng tank' -to receive saidmolds.

2. A frame, a carrier supported'for traveling movement thereon, a mold plate se:

'cured'to the carrier, a plurality of molds members, a mold iplungers located in said molds, an operating plates to be pushed one against the other I asthey ass underneath sai receptacle.

, 4'. A 'ame, a'carrier supported for traveling movement thereon, molds secured to the carrier, a receptacl located above the path of said molds, screw rods supported by the frame, guide rests sup orted by said rods in' position to be pres against the carrier, means for operating the rods to" press the rests against the carrier, and means for operating the carrier.

5. A frame, a carrier supported for traveling movement thereon and lncluding flexible late extending between said members, mol s secured to said plate, a receptacle located above the path of said molds, means for operating the. carrier, and means located and operated to wipe across the mouths of said molds. in a horizontal direction to smooth the material thereat.

6. A frame, a carrier supported for traveling movement thereon, mold plates secured 'to the carrier, molds secured to said plate, a rece tacle locatedabove the path of Said mol means for operating the carrier, and means for conducting waste material from underneath th carrier to a point above said receptacle.

7. A frame, a carrier supported for traveling movement thereon, a mold plate secured to said carrier and havin molds a recep-' tacle located above the pat of said molds, a

plurality of tanks for subjecting the. molds to degrees of temperature on opposite sides of the normal degree of tem erature of said molds, and ,means for ui mg 'said" molds into and out of said tan 8. A frame, a carrier supported for travel-n ing movement thereon',-'a mold late secured to the carrier and havin mol s thereon, a rece tacle located to' suplfiy material to said mol s, a tank to receive a medium to change the temperature of the molds, followers located within the molds, means for guiding the molds into the tank and means for changing the osition of respect tosai molds for action of the contents ofthetank.

9." frame, a carrier supportedfor travelingmovement' thereon, a mold-plate having =molds.secured fto saidrcarrier, a receptacle to sup ly material to said molds, followers located Within the molds,'a tank for changthe followers with projecting from one face of. said lu ing the temperature of the molds, means for tween said members. a receptacle located guiding the molds into said tank, means for a, a u

malntainlng the posltion of the followers whlle 1n said tank, a second tank for changing the temperature of the molds, and means for changing the position of the followers with respect to saidsecond tank.

10. A frame, a carrier supported for traveling movement thereon, a mold plate having molds secured to said carrier, a receptacle to supply material to said molds. followers located within the molds, a tank for changing the temperature of the molds,

means for guiding the molds into said tank,

above the path of said molds, a tank to receive a cooling medium. means for conducting the molds into said tank, a tank'to re-. ceive a heating medium, means to conduct) molds into said heating medium, followers located Within the molds, guides connected with the followers'to operate them to eject cakes therefrom-between said tanks, to move the followers to the bottom of the molds while in the heating medium, to move the followers to the mouth of the molds for delivery underneath said receptacle, and a cleaning device to engage the molds after delivery from the heating medium.

12. A frame, a carrier supported for traweling movement thereon, a mold plate having molds secured thereto, arecept'acle to supply material to said molds, a plurality of tanks positioned along the line of travel of said carrier, guides positioned along the line of travel of said carrier to support the mold plate at predetermined intervals, followers arranged Within theimolds, a followeroperating bar secured to the followers, and uides arranged at intervals along the psith of travel of said carrier to receive said bar to place the followers different positions along the line of travelof said carrier.

13. A mold plate and a supply device relatively movable to pass one acrossthe other, a mold depending from the under surface of said plate and with a mouth opening ,through the upper surface of the plate to receive plastic material from said supply device, and means for subjecting the entire outer surface of the mold to the action of a hardening medium of substantially uniform temperature as to that portion in contact with the mold.

MARIONL. ononcn. 

